SA Brass unveils video game music program

Updated 12:29 pm, Friday, May 3, 2013

San Antonio Brass -- from left, Kathleen Janert, Graeme Francis, John Carroll, Lee Hipp, William Wiegard and Brad Courage -- is preparing a concert of video game music. Courtesy San Antonio Brass

San Antonio Brass -- from left, Kathleen Janert, Graeme Francis, John Carroll, Lee Hipp, William Wiegard and Brad Courage -- is preparing a concert of video game music. Courtesy San Antonio Brass

Photo: Courtesy San Antonio Brass

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SA Brass unveils video game music program

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Lee Hipp, a member of the San Antonio Brass and principal tuba with the San Antonio Symphony, has spent a lot of time over the past few years immersed in video-game music.

The 54-year-old musician is not a player himself — “I can remember when 'Pong' came out and messing around with that, but I wasn't at the right time in my life to get involved in all this” — but he found himself struck by some of the tunes when he and the rest of the brass ensemble were asked to play several for a wedding.

“It's not all just action, shoot 'em up kind of things,” he said. “There's a lot of romance and other more universal kind of ideas and emotions going on in them.”

That gig was the genesis for a full program of video-game music, dubbed “The Sonic Arcade,” which the group unveils this weekend in the first of four concerts.

Hipp did most of the arrangements for the concert.

The program includes music from “Final Fantasy,” “Super Mario Brothers,” “Tetris” and “Angry Birds.” It also explores other aspects of gaming, including “By the Waters of Minnetonka,” a song that was popular in the 1920s and 1930s on boardwalks, and some circus and carnival music.

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There's also a taste of the Who's rock musical “Tommy,” which, as some might recall, is about a kid who “sure plays a mean pinball.” The San Antonio Brass version is more Carnival than Pete Townshend, though.

“I turned 'Pinball Wizard' into a samba,” Hipp said. “I don't think anyone will have heard this done this way.”

There's more to the program than the sound. The musicians will show some choreography — particularly in a tribute to “Pong” that will include a human re-creation of the game's movements.

That's part of the group's push to include more showmanship in its concerts. Its last program, titled “The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat,” featured sports-oriented music. The musicians dressed as if they were playing a weekend game of softball, and they used props and worked in some choreography.

The approach, inspired in part by Canadian Brass' flashy performances, is designed to draw a broader audience. It's also a welcome challenge for the musicians.

“It's not just sitting down and mastering our instrument,” said horn player Will Wiegard.

Admission: By donation. Recommended donation is $15 general admission; $10 for senior citizens and $5 for students. Proceeds go to the ensemble's San Antonio Brass Camp, taking place June 10-15 at St. Mary's University.